Starter for engines.



No. 876,240. PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

L. P. SUHLAMB. STARTER FOR ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.8,1907.

3 SHEETSSEEET 1.

. I 4 I-l INVE/ TOR W1 TNESSES 110.876.240. 'PATENTEDJANHL1908.

L. P. SGHLAMB.

STARTER FOR ENGINES.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. B, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 21 No. 876,240. PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

L. RSOHLAMB.

STARTER FOR ENGINES.

APPLIUATiON PILEDMAR. 8. 1907.

3 SHEETS SHEET 3.

UIT S LOUIS P. SCHLAMB, OF DULL, OHIO.

STARTER FOR ENGINES.

are. 876,240.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented an. 7, 19.08.

Application filed March 8, 190?- Serial No. 361.880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis P. SCHLAMB, a citizen of the-United States, residing at Dull, in the county of Van Wert and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Imrovementsin Starters for Engines; and I do ereby declare the following to a be .a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in starters for engines and more particularly to that class adapted to be used in connection with gas or other engines using an explosive for propelling purposes, and my object is to provide means for discharging a powder or similar explosive material whereby the charge of gas in the engine will be exploded.

A further object is to provide means for mechanism:

A' stiil further object is to provide means for placing the powderin cooperative relation with the gas chamber.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly automatically operating the discharging pointed out in the claims.

In the accom anying drawings which are made a part of t 1is application, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of an engine showing my improved starting mechanism s'ecured thereto. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section of my improved starting mechanism. Fig. 4 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 5 is a sectionalview as seen on line 55 Fig. 4, and showing the position of parts therefor in dotted lines. Fig. dis a sectional view as seen on line 6-6 Fig. 4, Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the starting mechanism, and, FighS is a central horizontal sectional view as seen on line 8 8 Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 indirates the cylinder of an engine which is of the usual or any preferred form and closed at one end while the opposite end thereof is 'open to receive a piston 2.

Located at a proper distance from the open end of the cylinder 1 is a driving shaft 3 to which is secured one end of a istonrod 4 while the opposite end of said ro is pivotally secured to the piston 2 so that when said pist on is reciprocated in the cylinden-fthe drivingshaft 3 will be rotated.- I

' Located at one side of the cylinder 1 and at the closed end thereof is a combustion cham her '5 with which connects a mixing chamber 6, said mixing chamber in turn receiving a gas supply pipe 7 and an air pipe 8 and the ob ect in directing the pipes 7 and 8 intothe chamber 6 is to pro erly mix the-air and gas before the same is tion chamber.

irected into the combus In an engine of this class'it is a commonly practice to employ a sparking plug for intermittently exploding the as in the combus-'i iston and tion chamber in order to rive the it has been found an arduous tas to start;

the'engine or cause the first explosion andto' this end I have provided my improved fofni of starter which consists in attaching to the combustion'chamber 5,.at any convenient point, a tube 9, the outerend of which'is provided with a head 10. The opening 11 inthe tube 9 is arranged to receive a charge of intention to use the usual orm of shell ern ployed in containing a charge of powder and shot as 'used in connection with fire arms, said shell being provided at one end with apercussion cap 13 so that when a blow is devered 'upon said cap, the contents of the shell will be ignited which will result in exploding the charge of as within the combus: tion chamber. The the tube 9 by means of a breech 14 which is secured to the head 10 by means of bolts 15 and 16, the bolt 16 entering a borein the breech 1 1 and extending through a registering bore in the head 10, said bolt 16 forming a pivot point forthe breech, while the bolt 15 is seated in registering slots 1.7 in the upper edge of the head and the breech, so that when it is desired to place a shell in the-tube or remove the same therefrom, the nuts 18 on the bolts 15 and 16 are turned sufficiently to release the bolts when the bolt 15 may be readily lifted out of the slots and the breech 14 rotated on the bolt 16 which will result in removing the breech from over the opening 11 when the exploded shell may be readily removed from the tube and a new one inserted therein.

811611 is retained within Extending'forwardly from the breech14' and preferably integral therewith are arms 19 to the outer ends of which is secured a ed a firing pin 21, the inner end of which is 1 adapted to entera bore 22 extending through the breech l4 and in line-with the cap 13 so that when said pin is directed through the bore 22'under exploded.

Surrounding the inner end of the pin 21 is a spring 23, one end of which rests against the block 20 while the opposite end thereof engages a collar 24 fixed to the pin 21, so that when the pin is drawn outwardly through the block 20 the spring will be contracted by the collar 24 so that when the pin is released, the spring will drive the inner end of the pin a ainst the cap 13 With suflicient force to exp ode the same.

The outer end ofthe firin pin 21 is. provided with a head 25 with W ich is adapted to engage a trigger 26, said trigger being pivotally secured at one end to the block 20 and ada ted to rest between the head 25 and the bloc 20 when the firing pin 21 is moved out wardly to contact the spring 23 and by this ferred manner upon the base 30 of the en gine; A beveled ear 31 is also fixed to' the shaft 29 with whic 1 meshes a beveled ear 32 carried by one end-of a shaft 33, sai shaft extending parallel with the cylinder of the engine and rotatably secured in'positio'n thereon by means of brackets 34. The outer end of the shaft 33 is provided with a crank 35 which is adapted to intermitten'tl engige. the lower end of an arm 36 which is ed at its upper end to an auxiliary shaft 37, said auxiliary shaft being provided at its outer end with an eccentric 38 which isadapted to enga e the projecting end'of thetrigger 26 and e evate the same sufficiently to release the head 25 when the auxiliary shaft 37 is partially rotated.

In operation a shell is first placed in the tube 9 and the firing pin moved outwardly and secured in position by means of the trigger 26, after which the piston 2 is moved outwardly in the cylinder 1 by rotating the shaft 3 a suflicient distance to draw a charge of gas into the cylinder and combustion chamber and when the piston 2 is moved inwardly by rotating the shaft 3in the opposite direction, crank 35 will be directed into engagement with the arm 36 through the pressure, the cap will be' medium of the gears 27, 28, 31 and 32, and a into the closed end of the cylinder, the crank 35 will have operated the auxiliary shaft 37 sufliciently to release the trigger 26 from the head 25, when the spring 23 will direct the firing pin into engagement with the ca 13 and explode the contents of the shell, w iich will in turn "enter the combustion chamber 5 and explode the combustible material therein, which will result in dr ving the piston outwardly and starting the engineand after the same is once started it will be readily seen that the gas in the combustion chamber will be successively exploded through the medium of the usual form of sparking plug (not shown).

In order to prevent a premature starting of the engine, asby the accidental exploding 'of the shell in the tube 9, a three-way cock 39 is provided and located in the length of the tube 9 between the cartridge 12 and the combustion chamber 5, as best shown in 1 Figs. 1, 3 and 8 of the drawings, and when the engine is not ready to be operated, the stem 39 of the cock is turned in such manner as to direct the handle of the stem at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the tube, thereby closing the passage through the tube 9 intothe combustion chamber 5 and registering the bores through the stem with that end of the opening 11 containing the car-- tridge and a passage 39 in one wall of the cock, so that should the cartridge be accidentally discharged, the force of the explosion' will pass through the passage 39, instead of into the combustion chamber 5, thereby avoiding the discharge of the propelling medium in the combustion chamber and at the same time preventing the destruction of theouter end of the tube 9 and combustion chamber 5 when the shell is exploded.

' Itwill furtherbe seen that if it is desired to .place a new cartridge in. the tube when the engine is running, the stem may be turned in position to close the passage through the tube 9, and thus preventing the gases or propelling medium from passing through the'tube while a cartridge is being removed from, or placed in position in the outer end of the tube. v

The. shaft 3 may be readily, manually rotated to operate the piston 2 by grasping end of said tube havin the rim of the fly wheel 40.- After the auxiliary shaft has been operated and the trigger released from the head 25, the arm 36 may be readily disposed out of the path of the crank 35 by swinging the aim 36 upwardly until the same rests across the tube 9 where the same may remain until such'time as it is again desired to explode a shell in the tube, when said' arm may be again lowered into the path ofthe crank.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a very cheap and economical means for pro-' ducing the first explosion of gas within an engine so that the same may be readily started and it will be further seen that I have provided means for automatically operating the discharging explosive. I

' What I claim is: l

1. In a device of the class described the combination with a cylinder, a combustion chamber therefor, a driving shaft, a piston insaid cylinder and means connecting said piston with the driving shaft; of a tube secured to said combustion chamber, a cock extending through said tube and intersecting-the mechanism for the bore therein, a head for one end of said tube, a breech secured to said head and means co operatively secured to said shaft .to ignitej'a;

charge of explosive material in said tube whereby the contents of the combustion chamber and cylinder will be ex loded.

2. In a device of the class escribed the combination withv an engine having a cylin der, a driving shaft and aic'ombustion chamber on said cylinder; of a tube connected to said combustion chamber, a breech'for one a bore through the central portion thereof, a cock extending through said tube midway between the combustion chamber and breech and intersecting the bore in the tube, a firing pinadapted to enter said bore, a spring on said pin,

:means 'to hold said spring under tension and releasing means for said in extending from said pin to the shaft of t ,e engine whereby I when said shaft is rotated the pin will be released to explode a charge of combustible material in the tube.

3. In a device of the class described the combination with a cylinder having a combustion chamber thereon; of a tube secured to'said combustion chamber and having a longitudinal opening therethrough, a head at one end of said tube, a breech-for said tube, means to removably secure-saidbreech to the head, arms on said breech, a block secured to said arms, a firing in longitudinally movable in said' block, a cdllar on said firing pin, a spring disposed between said collar and block, a trigger adapted to hold said firing pin in its outward position, and means to automatically release said trigger fromthe firing pin whereby the spring will direct the inner end of said firing pm through a bore in bustion chamber thereon; of a tube secured cure a shell in saidtube, afiring pin, means to direct said firing pin into engagement with said shellunder' ressure, whereby a cap on the shell will be &scharged and the contents of the shell exploded a three-Way cock intersecting said tube, whereby; the discharge from' the shell may be directed into the com- 1 bustion chamber or through a assage in one side of the tube and additiona means to automatically release the firing pin. 5. In a device of he class described the combination with a cylinder and a'combustion chamber thereon; of a tube secured to said combustion chamber, means to retain a charge of explosivematerial in the outer end of said tube, means to automatically ignite said explosivematerial whereby the 'as in and means extending through said tube be-' sive' material toleontrol 'the path of the charge in the tube when ex loded.

,6. In a-device of the c ass described the 'ic'ombination with an engine having a cylinder, a combustion chamber thereon, a piston in said cylinder, a driving shaft, means to operativly connect said piston to the driving shaft; ofa tube secured to said combustion chamber, means to retain an ex" losive in said tube, a firing .pin adapted to ignite the explosive in the tube, a spring on said firing in adapted to direct the same inwardly uner pressure, a' trigger adapted to hold the firing pin outwardly and compress the spring,

said auxilia shaft adapted to raise the triggerwhen said shaft is partially rotated, an

iary shaft, a shaft rotatably mounted on the adapted to engage said arm and o erate the auxiliary shaft, a gear wheelon t e driving shaft, a similar gear meshing therewith, a stub shaftforthe second mentioned gear, a beveled gear fixed to said stub shaftand adapted to move with the second mentioned gear and a beveled ear on the inner end of the rotating shaft adapted to mesh with the first mentioned beveled gear androtate the rotating shaft when the driving shaft is driven. a 1 v In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS P. soHLAMB.

Witnesses EARL .STETLER, R. F. HALE.

to said combustion chamber,"'means to see an auxiliary shaft, an eccentric at one end of arm depending from and fixed to said auxilthe combustion chamber will be exp oded,

tween the combustion chamber and exploengine, a crank on one end of said shaft 

